


To Kill A Star

by The_Crawling_Chaos



Series: The Ascension of a Son [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Angst, BAMF Leia Organa, Canon-Typical Violence, Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Gen, Jedi Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker Needs A Hug, Other, POV Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala Lives, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, References to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Sith Luke Skywalker, Skywalker Family Drama, Skywalker Family Feels, Tragedy, lots of fluff at the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22365778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Crawling_Chaos/pseuds/The_Crawling_Chaos
Summary: A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...Anakin Skywalker is still a Jedi, the Dark Lord of The Sith is dead, and the two littlest Skywalkers have been born.For years, Anakin is the happiest he has ever been. He managed to persuade the council to train his children in the ways of the Jedi, with his former master Obi-Wan Kenobi claiming his daughter Leia and the esteemed Mace Windu taking on Luke.Peace is the sole ruler of the galaxy.That is, until Luke decides that he wants to be more then just a carbon copy of his sister.A.K.A. what would have happened if Anakin had let Sheev die and his children train to be Jedi.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker & Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Leia Organa
Series: The Ascension of a Son [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669306
Comments: 20
Kudos: 113





	1. To Kill A Sith

“He’s too dangerous to be kept alive!” 

Anakin Skywalker had taken ages to debate Mace’s words in his head. 

Yes _indeed,_ the Dark Lord of The Sith was too dangerous to be kept alive. He could command Lightning, manipulate entire worlds into committing political suicide, and perhaps worst of all...he could sway hearts and minds with only a few words. 

Anakin could feel his heart yearning to save the cowering man, if only to see what he could do to help him. His emotions begged and clawed at him to take the chance at corruption to save the woman he loved. _Damn the consequences,_ his heart said. You need to save Padme, whatever the cost. 

But, as he looked into Sheev Palpatine’s cold and bottomless yellow eyes, he came to a final profound realization. The Dark Lord only had _his own_ interests in mind. He would toss Anakin aside at the first chance he got, of this he was absolutely sure. If _this_ was the man he would be entrusting his wife’s safety to…

_No._ He would not gamble his precious Padme on this malignant, manipulative Sith Lord. He would trust his Jedi instincts, which were increasingly aligning with Mace Windu’s words. He decided without words, but with a final movement away from the decrepit body of the Chancellor.

One swing of a purple lightsaber later, the line of the Banite Sith died. 

The Force seemed to shudder and fall silent in relief as the last blemish on it was scrubbed clean. The darkness that was clouding Anakin’s vision was suddenly wiped away and it was as if a tremendous weight was lifted off his shoulders. It felt like he had finally stopped moving after a year long trek across Tatooine. Had he really been living with this black cloud over him the entire time? 

Anakin felt _free._ He could breathe so easily; every intake of air filled him with a lust for life. His connection to the Force had even been repaired significantly. He could detect emotions and signs of life all around him, with Force signatures brighter than they had ever been. _How_ could he have been missing this? The Jedi teachings he had been struggling with for so long now suddenly made blinding sense to him; of course they fought against the Dark Side so much. The Dark weighs every waking moment with negativity and despair, while the Light frees one from that crushing weight. No creature should have to be shadowed by such evil constantly. 

This revelation lifted Anakin up, like a feather on the breeze. He took the next few days with such enthusiasm that Obi-Wan was insistently asking him if he had one too many drinks that morning. 

But Anakin’s mood was infectious. It spread to all his other Jedi compatriots like wildfire, and soon it was nearly impossible to find a Jedi who didn’t have a smile on their face. Ahsoka Tano had particularly taken to her Master’s good spirits, partly because he had announced that she was ready for her trials. 

She passed with flying colors, of course. The Clone Wars had done her a wonderful duty by allowing her to truly stretch her talents to the very limit, preparing her perhaps too much for the final Jedi Trials. Freshed Knighted, Ahsoka was a perfectly radiant sun of positive energy. 

But even she could not compare to Anakin once his children had been born. Luke and Leia Skywalker filled him with such happiness he couldn’t even put it into words. When they smiled at him his heart melted into paste and felt hot in his chest. Padme fit the mold of proud mother incredibly well; she entertained the newborns by beguiling them with stories of her Jedi Master husband, recently promoted after Ahsoka’s trails had been completed. She told them of his first podrace, his victory at the Corvair Sector, and his sabotage of the ship _Malevolence._ She told so many that Anakin had to leave the room in embarrassment. When he finally returned she was just recounting the events of the Onderon rebellion to the twins, who were close to falling asleep. 

The Council were, of course, not too pleased with Anakin breaking the code and developing such a deep attachment to his wife, but with a few choice words he convinced them to let his children be trained. They had immense connections to the Force already; their Force signatures alone confirmed it. 

And so as the twins grew up Anakin was there, alongside his Master. He watched them evolve from toddlers to younglings. They were eager to learn and took their lessons very seriously, something Anakin teased them mercilessly about. 

His daughter, Leia, was naturally astute in the Force. She was brimming with untapped power, and that drew Obi-Wan’s eye. He remarked to Anakin on several occasions how she felt so much he had when he was a padawan. 

Luke was a slightly different story. He too was naturally very powerful in the Force, but he couldn't quite reach his sister's heights. He was instead excellent with non Force involved tasks like piloting and debating. He could fly any fighter with incredible grace and speed for his age, something that Anakin took great pride in. Clearly Luke had inherited his piloting gene.

As the twins neared padawan age, Obi-Wan practically showered Anakin with signs that he was going to pick Leia to be his apprentice. He loved hanging around the energetic girl and meditating with her. They matched in a unique way that warmed the eldest Skywalker’s heart. He’d often catch Kenobi waxing poetic about his favorite negotiation tactics, which Leia just ate up. A match made in heaven it seemed. 

Mace Windu claiming Luke as his padawan though? That was unexpected. The only clue that was offered as to why was a throwaway remark about needing to knock some sense into at least one of the Skywalkers.

And so with the Masters assigned to their apprentices, the twins' training began. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this fic was partly inspired by the song 'Evelyn Evelyn' so if you want to spoil yourself go listen to that. It sets a great mood for this later on as well so yeah. But this chapter was all fluff to get y'all situated and ready for the intense angst that's about to come.


	2. To Feel The Cold

Being Mace Windu’s padawan wasn’t what Luke thought it would be. 

There was a lot more physical training and meditation then he would have liked. Every morning he rose at the exact same god awful hour and ran laps. Then he would meditate and reflect on how he felt. Then they would transition into lightsaber training for the entire afternoon, which would be followed by yet more meditation. 

Windu had said to him repeatedly that mediation served to teach him patience, self control, and how to focus. Luke understood this of course, but was also put off but just how long these meditation sessions were. The pair would flow between hours of intense dueling or running and completely silent mental exercises. Luke simply could not reconcile the jarring dissonance between the two activities, no matter how hard he tried. And on top of the physically taxing exercises his master had him do, he was also commanded to take extra classes on political theory and military tactics. 

He did not have an affinity for these extra classes precisely because they were just that: _extra._ He frequently found himself yearning for free time with his father, his sister, anyone who wasn’t his demanding master or any other condescending Jedi who thought he was being lazy in his duties. But as much as he wanted his free time, he found that he did like learning about politics. It was interesting to learn about how Senate bills were passed and the history of corruption in the Galactic Republic. 

But of course, his enjoyment of even this had to be marred by his sister. 

He loved his sister, no doubt about it. They were as close as siblings could be without being literally joined at the hip; they went everywhere together, they ate the same food-mostly because their masters demanded it-and they liked most of the same things. They played pranks on the other padawans together and talked with their clone friends together.

But, there was one caveat. Leia was just better then Luke at being a Jedi. 

She completed her training without complaint, she could meditate for hours without getting frustrated or bored. She fought so gracefully with a lightsaber that even Ahsoka was impressed. Her Force abilities were more finely tuned and honed; she could pull large objects towards her with ease and even levitate her body if she so desired. Luke had always found his Force control to be passable and certainly acceptable, but not quite up to his standards. Mace didn’t say anything about it to his apprentice, but Luke could feel that he thought the same.

That was what had gotten to him the most. It rattled the young Skywalker to think that his master didn’t think he was as good as his own sister. Sure, his lightsaber skills weren’t the best they could be just yet, but did that really mean he was lesser then Leia? 

Occasionally while he was supposed to be meditating he would explore the force bond between him and his sister. It had formed when they were both younglings and stayed strongly intact throughout their training with their respective masters. Luke could feel whenever Leia felt an intense flash of emotion during her sparring sessions, something he never told her about. It was something of a guilty pleasure, knowing that she was also fallible and wasn’t perfect. But the bond went both ways unfortunately and she could also feel whenever he got too heated during an argument or a training session. She would sometimes reprimand him for it, which he made his disapproval of clear. 

One particular day was noteworthy because of an incident on a mission. Luke had gone with his master to settle a border dispute between two royal families on a distant Outer Rim planet. The mission was supposed to be easy; negotiate a peace agreement between the two heads with minimal violent engagement or side-taking. It was going quite well until one of the princes thought it would be a fine idea to bring up the Jedi involvement in the Clone Wars as fighters. Luke had strong opinions on this matter and could not resist jumping in to defend his masters.

“The Jedi have long claimed to be ‘peacekeepers’ but that has been clearly proven false by their very violent involvement in the Clone War. I distinctly remember our planet being torn apart by warring droids and lightsaber wielding maniacs on the daily.” The Prince Volk-Nyy had said.

“The Jedi aren’t ‘maniacs!’ We only had to get involved because some people thought it would be a good kriffing idea to secede from a democratic conglomerate with their best interest in mind!” Luke responded.

“Oh, if only! The Republic is as corrupt as they come, and if you think differently then you’re even more ignorant than I thought!” The Prince’s mocking tone and smug face was the straw that broke the Rancor’s back. 

“Hey, you better watch it! We’re here to solve _your_ petty problems and if you don’t like that we might as well just leave you to fend for yourselves! We don’t _have_ to resolve this peacefully.” That last part came out a lot more darkly threatening then Luke had intended. His voice had gotten lower and more sharply sure of itself, almost as if the very thought of taking deadly action had affirmed the young Skywalker. 

Windu put his hand on Luke’s shoulder and sent a wave of intense calm through their training bond. It was like a splash of cold water that shook Skywalker out of his lazar focus. What had he just been about to do? His hand hovering near his lightsaber hilt was answer enough.

The rest of the negotiation was handled by Mace alone. He left Skywalker outside of the royal hall with a few clone troopers guarding the entrance. Luke felt a pang of hot shame roll through him, making it very uncomfortable to stand there all of a sudden. Would he really have struck the prince down in that moment if his master hadn’t intervened? 

He pondered that all the way back to Coruscant. He had felt so sure of himself in that moment, like striking down his enemy was what every atom in his body had wanted. It scared him more and more the longer he remembered the feeling. It had all but faded from his recollection except for one thing. He had felt cold. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  
  


After his mandated three hours of extra meditation Luke emerged from his quarters to get dinner. He sat next to Leia as he always did and they ate in silence. But it wasn’t their usual comfortable silence. He could tell through their bond that she had something she wanted to tell him. She was... _scared_ or nervous about something. 

After several more bites in awkward silence Leia finally broke. 

“What happened today? I felt something from you...it didn’t feel like... _you_ I guess.” She was uncharacteristically stumbling over herself trying to get the words out. 

Luke lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “What do you mean ‘didn’t feel like me?” 

  
“Well uh I know what you feel like in my head. You’re warm and pleasant and _brotherly,_ I don’t know.” She paused and swallowed nervously. “But today I felt something from you that just felt wrong. It was so _cold._ I couldn’t even tell what emotion you were feeling...just that it was cold.”

Luke didn’t know what to say. Leia had never been tongue tied or at a loss for words like this before. 

“I... _don’t know_ what that was. I guess I lost control. It won’t happen again, I promise!” His tone was almost pleading, like he wanted forgiveness for something he hadn’t done yet. 

She gave him a look that said that she doubted it. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  
  


The next few days passed without much incident. Luke had doubled down on his training, determined to eliminate his weakness. He effectively isolated himself from his fellow padawans, only really talking to his family and master, and even then he came off as quite aloof. The other apprentices saw this change in Luke as radical and distinctly unwelcome, so they treated him in kind. He would receive stares as he went back to his quarters sweaty and tired from the day’s work, and hushed whispers when he looked especially ragged. This wasn’t helped by the fact that he and his sister were no longer as comfortable as they had once been. They didn’t prank the older padawans at all anymore, and hardly ate together. Their conversations were limited to curt dialogues about their day or mission reports if they had to work together on a given day. 

And so it continued for years. The rift continued to widen as the twins’ paths further diverged. Leia had only gotten more skilled and more adept with her abilities while Luke continued to fester in what was once light and playful jealousy but what was now sharp and painful envy of his sister’s talent. Obi-Wan praised her and shared her progress with Anakin gleefully but all Mace Windu seemed to be inclined to do was give the occasional compliment. 

This lack of encouragement grated on Luke severely. Why should his sister get all the praise when he was working just as hard as, or maybe even harder, than her? He had improved his lightsaber combat skills tremendously and his Force prowess was certainly more fine tuned. But had his sister noticed any of that? No, apparently not. She was too busy going on missions with Obi-Wan and getting special treatment from their father. 

Yes, their father. He had been so proud of Leia recently. He spent time with her and showered her with affection so sweet it could rot teeth. He was always a ray of sunshine, but when he was around Leia he was like a supernova. Luke didn’t want to be angry at his own father for giving attention to her when she so clearly deserved it, but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of resentment and anger towards him for excluding him. If only Luke could get a little more appreciation from Mace, from Anakin, from his sister…

These thoughts consumed him for days, weeks, months on end. It was infuriating to be constantly thinking of how inferior he was to his own family. It was always in the back of Luke’s mind now, even when he was preoccupied with a task from his master. Peace was a foriegn concept to the male Skywalker now; how could he be truly at peace if he didn’t know his place in the world? 

He would have to find out the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you there would be a lot of angst. :)


	3. To Save A Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer because I feel bad for how short the previous ones have been. Also the story is finally starting to ramp up so it's only down hill from here folks.

The next few years weren’t kind to Luke.

He progressed in his training slowly and steadily, but not steadily enough for the ambitious padawan. He trained hard, fought harder, and became even more estranged from his family in the process. He would take his food in his quarters to avoid the concerned whispers about him, and he wouldn’t take kindly to the false concern his fellow padawans showed him. 

His missions with his master weren’t much better. 

Mace Windu didn’t want to trust Luke with high profile tasks anymore. He would just assign Luke to the most menial task possible to “keep him out of trouble” or whatever else half baked excuse he came up with that day. Instead of soothing Luke all this did was increase his anxiety and lust for action. He couldn’t sit still; he was always moving and yearning for an outlet to release all the pent up energy that was stirring wildy inside him. He was like a tornado with no field to tear through. 

Leia was the most oblivious, surprisingly. She barely touched their mental bond, and when she did all he could feel was a slight nudge or pull. This alone was enough to send Luke over the end into despair, but the worst was yet to come. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

  
  


Luke was on yet another boring and simple mission with Windu when it all went wrong. They had been sent to escort a newly appointed senator through a civil war zone to the shipyard. It should have been painfully easy, but instead it had all gone south. 

Shooting had started halfway through their trek with a band of malcontents. Windu ordered the clones to protect their flank as he dealt with the sniper on the hills. He commanded Luke to stand by the senator and protect them in case an enemy breached the clones’ defense. This aggravated the young Skywalker; he wanted to get in on the action and end the threat. But no, he should leave that to his master, _of course._

Mace made quick work of the sniper and turned his attention to the other attackers. They were locals armed to the teeth with grenades and guns of varying sizes. Luke watched as his master elegantly deflected the blaster bolts back into the attacker’s bodies with a passive envy; his master’s show of strength only stirred up his action-lust further. 

They continued on with no incident until about an hour later. The convoy was suddenly descended upon by more malcontents who disliked the choice of senator. They made their hatred very clear, screaming about bloodlines, rightful government and so on. Luke decided that he had heard enough of this and pulled out his lightsaber in a strong flurry. With five graceful slashes the threat had been neutralized. And instead of praising him for his quick de-escalation of the situation, Mace simply shook his head, apparently dissatisfied with his apprentice’s merciless action. 

So it continued until the party made it to the shipyard. Both master and apprentice were exhausted from battling all the way to their goal, sweaty and sticky in all the wrong places and knuckles white from clutching their blades too tightly. But they had finally made it. Now all they had to do was fly the senator off world and to Coruscant. Should be a cake walk. 

Except some of the dissenters had fighter ships. 

And that was how Luke found himself scrambling for his ship’s weapons system. He was frantically firing his guns back at the attacker’s ships while he attempted to escape orbit behind his master’s ship. He had tried to quiet his mind so he could focus on his targets, but he couldn’t. The battle had gotten his blood boiling and roaring in his ears, showing no signs of stopping any time soon. As he blasted the enemies down the sound of roaring only grew louder. Until his ship was hit and the roaring turned to ringing. 

The persistent ringing only broke when his astromech droid beeped furiously at him to pull the lever to his right. Completely disoriented, Luke blindly listened and pulled the lever with no idea where it would take him. Then the stars stretched together and catapulted him into the unknown.

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

  
  


Luke startled awake when the ship suddenly jumped out of hyperspace. He worriedly checked his ship’s systems and when everything was fine he checked the nav computer to see where he was. 

_Region: Outer Rim_

_Sector: Chorlian Sector_

_System: Malachor System_

_Malachor? What the hell am I doing here?_

Luke’s eyebrows scrunched together in utter confusion. Why had his droid rerouted him here? Malachor was in the middle of nowhere, and worse yet...it was rumored to be a sinister place where the Dark Jedi used to congregate. Luke had heard the ghost stories told in the dead of night by other paranoid padawans with a little too much fear in them about this place. 

And that's precisely why he was so interested in it. 

Taking control of the ship, Luke piloted himself down to the ground and stepped out of the ship cautiously. The planet’s surface resembles liquid carbonite, but that wasn’t what Luke first noticed about it. When his foot came into contact with the planet he felt something akin to a shock of lightning down his back. It was like frostbite slowly creeping through his entire being; like the planet itself wanted to dominate him with cold. 

As if in a trance Luke walked along the surface to a structure reaching into the sky like a claw. It felt like the spire was calling to him; he could feel a fierce pull in his blood. He _needed_ to follow the thread the Force was leading him by. 

Putting his hand on the spire, the Force rushed to him like it never had before. It pooled in his hand and felt like an ice cube of raw power. But as quickly as the Force came to him, it flowed out just as fast. His hand left a purple mark on the structure and suddenly the floor came out from underneath him. He tumbled down into a dark cavern that seemed to stretch for miles and miles.

Luke took a minute to adjust to the darkness. It looked to be untold years old and undisturbed by any modern hands, but the most fascinating part of the cave was the huge temple at the center. It came to a menacing point that seemed to sing to Luke. That was where he needed to go. So that was where he went. 

For what seemed like hours Luke walked towards the temple with resolve in his eyes and the Force in his bones. He could feel it surging within him, growing stronger with each step. It clouded his mind and darkened the sides of his vision so that he could only tunnel in on what was directly in front of him. This almost predatory focus on his goal was overpowering, and left him vulnerable to the loose ground underneath him. With one accidental foot placement Luke was now falling into a different portion of the underground liar. It looked to be a narrow yet wide tunnel snaking under the main temple cavern. 

He wasn’t alone. 

A figure was hunched over and sitting propped up on a cane in the corner of Luke’s vision. They were covered with loose, ragged black clothes that looked to be weary and frayed with age. The creature’s identity was shrouded in shadow from the hood it was wearing. 

“Hello? Who are you?” Luke’s voice was strong and surprisingly steady for his situation. 

“Hello.” It said. The voice clearly had a man’s inflection, but sounded weakened and cracked with age. 

“Who are you?” Luke repeated, a little more impatient this time. 

“I am merely a traveler who got lost in this dreadful place years ago. I came here for knowledge, and all I found was misfortune.” The man was meek and almost cowered in Luke’s presence. Strange. 

“You came here for knowledge? What could possibly offer you knowledge here?” 

“You don’t know? My my.” If Luke didn’t know any better, he could almost swear he heard him sound intrigued by Luke’s ignorance. “This place is home to a Temple. At the top of this temple there lies secrets that only users of the Force may seek.” 

Luke arched an eyebrow curiously. Maybe  _ that’s _ why he felt drawn to this place. Because it had answers to his problems. 

“And why are you down here instead of up there getting those secrets?” 

The man visibly shifted in shame or perhaps embarrassment. “I fell. I was attacked and wounded. I ran out of supplies and I couldn’t risk going up, so I scavenged down here in hopes of eventually regaining my strength. But alas...I am too old to continue.” 

Luke felt a stab of pity and sympathy for the stranger. “I could help you get back up to the surface. I have a ship that could take you to wherever you need to go.” 

The stranger perked up. “That is very kind of you. I haven’t met anyone else in so long...it's so nice to finally meet someone as kind as you.” 

That comment sent a flurry of pride through Luke. He liked feeling like he was useful and helpful, even if it was to a complete stranger. 

“There is a way out over there I believe.” The man pointed a crooked finger to Luke’s right. “Shall we go?” 

“We shall.” Luke replied. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  
  


So the duo walked.

Luke had to slow his pace slightly as the man couldn’t quite keep up with his healthy and strong gait. They walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence, something Luke hadn’t had in a very long time. Eventually, though, the old man decided he wanted to spark up a conversation. 

“So why are  _ you _ here, my boy?” 

Luke scratched the back of his head nervously. “My droid piloted my ship here. I don’t know if it was by accident or what, but I was in the middle of a space battle when it happened.” 

The stranger looked at him in surprise. “A space battle? My goodness, how exciting.” He paused for a moment. “And how curious it is that you came here. Perhaps...fate wanted you to be here. The Force works in mysterious ways indeed.” 

It was this comment about the Force that interested Luke. “What would you know about the Force?” 

“I studied its ways a long time ago. I always found it fascinating how the Force could guide and help those in true dire need. It could lend its strength in ways you would never think imaginable.” 

“Were you a Jedi? You sure talk like one.” It was a simple observation, but the stranger moved uncomfortably at it. 

“Uh...no I wouldn’t say that. I was trained in the ways of the Force by a master who was not of the Order. Their ways were considered...unorthodox by the Jedi.” 

This gave Luke pause enough to stop walking. “But, the only other group of Force Users I’ve heard of are the...Sith!” Panicking at this new revelation he unclipped his lightsaber and ignited it. The glow of the green blade illuminated the stranger’s face just enough so that Luke could see harsh lines covering his face. Almost like tattoos. 

“The Sith.” Suddenly his companions voice hardened immensely. “The Sith took everything from me. They took me from my home, my Mother. They brutalized me in ways that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. So...no, I do not consider myself a  _ Sith _ anymore.” 

The way in which he said it struck a chord with Luke. The Force seemed to say that his words rang true. 

“So what are you now, huh?” Luke’s voice came out more timid then he intended. 

“I am just me, no more, no less. I used to be feared across the galaxy and known by a terrifying title. Now I am just called  _ Maul. _ ” 

The reveal of his name caused Luke to lower his saber. “I’m Luke. Luke Skywalker.”


	4. To Promise Vengeance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just remember before you read this chapter: Maul is an unreliable narrator y'all.

Maul and Luke, having finally introduced themselves properly, walked the rest of the way in companionable silence. 

The way to the temple was long and more than a little difficult, but Luke found that he didn’t care so much. He for once in a very long time, actually felt like the person walking next to him wasn’t judging him for something he hadn’t done yet. Maul never gave him the signature “disappointed once over” that Mace seemed so fond of; Luke appreciated that more than he thought. 

But before he could get too lost in his own thoughts they found themselves at the base of the temple. The Force around the ancient building seemed to swell and churn in the two’s presence. It begged to be used, and Luke was inclined to listen. 

“How do we get in?” He asked. 

Pulling down his hood, Maul turned to face him, fully visible now. His visage was startling to say the least; he looked to be a red Dathomirian Zabrak with harsh tattoos snaking over his head in precise ways. The most noticeable part of him, however, was his piercing yellow eyes. They burned in the dark like miniature suns trapped in his head.

“Only two many enter at a time. We must lift the rocks barring our way.” He spoke authoritatively now, with a strength that he didn’t previously possess. 

Getting the hint, Luke extended his hand out. Squeezing his eyes shut he concentrated with all his might and commanded the Force to be with him. 

But the Force, no matter how hard he tried, would not move the rocks. With a pained grunt, Luke released his hold. “It’s no use. I can’t move it.” Defeat tasted so bitter on Luke’s tongue. 

“Use your _feelings,_ Luke Skywalker. You _can_ move the obstacles in your path, but you must use all of your potential. Your anger, fear. These things are powerful and _will_ come to you, _help_ you in your time of need.” Gone was the timid quiver in Maul’s voice. He was all power and surety now.

“But my master told me those are _Dark Side_ feelings. I shouldn’t use them…”

Maul grimaced. “How can you expect to be the best you can possibly be without utilizing every tool at your disposal? You have been holding yourself back, young Skywalker. Your master is feeding you lies to keep you weak and at his mercy.” He paused, a strange look flashing in his molten yellow eyes. “Just _try_ , that is all I am asking of you.” 

Humbled, Luke broke eye contact with Maul and instead focused on the wall of stone he was determined to move. Extending his hand out once again, he called the Force to him. But this time Luke conjured up thoughts of Leia. Her disappointed look when she told him of the cold in their bond. Her in the training room, knocking him to the floor with ease. Her idly chatting with their father about the latest political developments in the senate, completely oblivious to his bleeding, open wound of loneliness. He thought of his family socializing and partying and loving while he silently and violently sobbed in his quarters, all alone. No one to notice his silent suffering. 

Absolutely no one. He had no one. 

The rocks lifted. A doorway split open and revealed itself, practically begging them to come inside. Maul stepped in first and motioned for Luke to follow. 

Once they had safely entered Luke threw down the rocks with a guttural yell. He fell to his knees and screamed again, completely blind to Maul, who was then kneeling beside him in worry. Luke suddenly felt like he had ran twenty marathons and lifted fifty thousand tons all at once. Not only was he physically drained, but his mental constitution felt torn apart and ripped open, like a gaping wound. Emotions flooded into his vulnerable mind. Anger pounded through him like a river of fire, revitalizing Luke indescribably. One second he had felt drained, now he felt like he could topple a mountain with just a single scream. 

“We must lift the ceiling to continue. Get up.” Maul offered Luke his hand, which he accepted without protest. 

The two lifted their hands and raised the heavy ceiling together. It was easy; almost no effort was demanded on Luke’s part. The emotions that now raged through him granted the young Skywalker the power he needed to assist Maul in ascending the Temple. 

And ascend the Temple they did. Soldiering through the trails of two, the duo eventually made their way to the holocron’s resting place. It was firmly planted in a small jail of sorts, one that protected the holocron from any Force Pull or Push. 

“Looks like one of us will have to go and get it.” Luke said to Maul, who looked quite perturbed at his observation. 

“Yes, it appears that way. How do you suggest we go about that?” Maul raised an eyebrow at Luke. 

“I could jump and you could Force Push me the rest of the way. My...my sister and I used to do it when we were kids.” Even mentioning his sister in passing stirred up that hurricane of rage building in Luke. 

“That sounds like an excellent idea.” 

Luke blinked rapidly and looked at Maul in surprise. “You think so?” He was incredulous. 

“ _Of course._ I couldn’t have thought of a better idea if I tried.” Maul smiled ever so slightly, and that tiny show of appreciation made something flutter in Luke. He was proud of him. _For real._

“Let’s do it!” 

Luke sprinted as hard as he could toward the edge of the platform they were standing on. As soon as he leaped off the side he felt a strong wind at his back propelling him forward the rest of the way. Maul had pushed him like he said he would. 

Landing with a satisfying thud, Luke brushed himself off and approached the trapped holocron. Strange metal bars encased it, but Luke’s youthful hand easily slipped through. Placing his hand on the triangular device, Luke concentrated. The Force came roaring back to him. The holocron in his grasp responded with an equal surge of Force power, gently rumbling in his hands...almost like it was delighted. 

The bars retracted. Luke gingerly lifted the holocron and inspected it. The box glowed with a blood red light that pulsed and purred with dark tendrils of power. While looking at it, something in Luke responded to the holocron. Something deep inside him just...connected on a subconscious, primal level to it. He somehow knew that he was meant to be here and hold this very object in his hand. This was his...oh what was the word for it? 

“Are you going to be coming back here any time soon?” Maul’s honeyed tone cut through Luke’s trance like a knife. 

“Yeah, sorry.” 

After one more leap and a tug with the Force, Luke was safely back on the other side. He showed his prize to Maul, who smiled brightly in response. 

“Would you like to know how to use it?” 

Luke nodded and let Maul take the holocron from his hands. After slotting it into a triangular hole in the wall, a section of it lifted and revealed the path ahead. 

“Holocrons are keys; they can open many doors.” Offering it back to Luke, Maul took the lead. The Temple appeared much grander on the inside, and the further they ascended the more intricate it became. Luke had never been to a place this ancient and thrumming with power before; of course he had been to old Jedi Temples before, but nowhere he had been before quite compared to this place. It never attempted to mask its Force presence or obfuscate its intentions. This place...it was not for the weak hearted or the cowardly. The secrets that lay hidden here were forbidden to all but those select few willing to do _whatever_ it took. 

But apparently “whatever it took” was subjective. The higher the pair got in the Temple, the easier it was for Luke to lift the obstacles in his path. All he had to do was let the swirling, raging storm inside him free. The Force was now quick to join him, like an eager dog at his feet begging for scraps. It lurked just below the surface, waiting. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . .

  
  


After an eternity of raising rocks and lifting walls, they finally made it to the top of the temple. At the center of it there were two stone slabs with a place in the middle for something to go, most likely the holocron. Luke was giddy and excited to finally receive the knowledge inside, but before he could rush to the slabs, Maul put his hand on his shoulder. 

“Luke, listen to me. You’ve done so well, and I am quite proud of you. But I feel that I must ask you...who was your master? Who was the fool that would discard you without a second thought?”

Luke clenched his hands into fists. “Mace Windu.” 

“Ah. A powerful Jedi to be sure, and not one to scoff at.” Maul paused, a curious look creasing his tattooed face. “And your sister? Who does she answer to?” 

“Obi-Wan Kenobi. He picked her to train.” He tried to keep the resentment and jealousy out of his voice, but by the look on Maul’s face, he hadn’t done a great job. 

“ _Kenobi._ ” 

The pure malice and creeping hatred in Maul’s voice chilled Luke. 

“Did...did you know him?” 

“Kenobi and I have a _history_. He is the reason for all my suffering. He is why I was cast out from the Sith and betrayed by the only ones I cared about. He is why I am only _half a man.”_

Luke glanced down and reexamined Maul’s legs. They were, in fact, mechanical. Did _Obi-Wan_ , the most polite and kind old man he knew, really _cut someone in half?_ Obi-Wan never even swore, for kriff’s sake. It was so _unlike_ him…

“I can see you don’t believe me, young Skywalker. Well, allow me to enlighten you about your dear friend Kenobi. He was merely a padawan when we fought, and I was only a Sith Apprentice. My master commanded me to fight him and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn. I had to do it, or risk my own master’s deadly ire.” Maul looked to Luke in the middle of his story. He saw that the young man was enraptured in his story, clearly sympathetic. _Good._ “I was victorious in dispatching Jinn, but Kenobi...he was strong. And _enraged._ He was distraught at the death of someone he cared about, so he wisely used his feelings to defeat me. But no, he couldn't just quickly incapacitate and bring me in...no. He cut me. _In half_. And left me to fall, alone and seething in my own hatred. I only survived because I used what my master taught me and _felt_ so deeply...that I was able to hold my mind together long enough to find help. But my pain didn’t end there.” 

Luke’s breath hitched in suspense. Maul truly was an excellent storyteller. 

“My mind, my every thought, was ravaged by grief and anger. What he did to me...was inhumane and disgusting. I still remember living in the damp darkness, like a wild animal. I eventually escaped, but I will _never_ forget my years in hell, and that it could have all been avoided if _Kenobi_ ...had just brought me in. If he had just had _pity_ on me…but no. He chose to be petty and cruel instead. So I will be petty and cruel to him in return. What do you say, _apprentice?_ Will you allow Kenobi to claim you as his next victim?”

_“...No.”_


	5. To Kill A Master

“Excellent. Your training begins now.” 

When Maul said training, he really meant it. The Zabrak immediately dipped into an attack stance and ignited his double-bladed crimson lightsaber. It was a sight Luke had never seen before, and it certainly awed him. But Skywalker didn’t have time to be impressed by the old Sith Lord; he was being attacked! 

They sparred for as long as Luke was able to parry and dodge Maul’s lightning quick flurry of strikes. Each flash of the blade came furiously and relentlessly; it forced Luke to go on the offensive to defend himself, as bizarre as that sounded. He used every trick he could remember to try and catch Maul off guard. He ducked, jumped, side stepped and jabbed with all of his might, but it just wasn’t enough. Soon Maul had his crackling blade under Luke’s throat. 

“Good, but not good enough. Again.” 

Off they went. They fought again, with Maul being even more unforgiving this time. He knocked his new apprentice to the ground, red saber clashing with Luke’s green. 

“Your footwork is not refined enough. Get up, and follow my every move.” 

Maul spent hours correcting Luke’s sloppy footwork, and took great care to instill in him an awareness of where his legs were at all time. Your legs were what carried you into battle, he said. They are your greatest allies beside your arms, and you should always keep them in their proper place. Whenever Luke slipped or got tangled up Maul would reprimand him with a swift slap to his wrist. The pain, however brief, hurt like hell and taught Luke to learn his stance quickly or suffer the consequences. 

After many slaps to the wrist and hours of practice, Luke’s stance was perfect and his footwork flawless. This new development allowed him to effortlessly dance around Maul’s strikes and even make a few moves of his own. Luke’s greatest achievement was his first hit on Maul. He had been able to back Maul up a few steps and distract him with a few feints. This let him strike a blow on his master’s shoulder. It was a very light hit, but it was still a _hit._

“Very good!” The yellow fire in Maul’s eyes burned brighter. “Now hit me _again,_ apprentice.”

So they continued. Maul wasn’t holding back anymore, not after Luke’s hit. He lunged at him ruthlessly, swinging his saber in wide arches and deadly spins. He fought like a hungry predator, so Luke responded in kind. He broke the dam that was holding his emotions back and let them flow through him. Boiling hot anger joined him instantly and revitalized his aching limbs. Using his newfound power, Luke called the Force to him and pushed Maul back as brutally as he could. 

Maul was clearly surprised by Luke’s sudden and violent use of the Force, which allowed him another opening to strike. Constricting his hand into a fist, Luke cut off all oxygen to and from his master’s throat, and for extra flair Luke raised the struggling Zabrak up into the air. 

Burning eyes glowed brighter as Maul flashed out his arm in desperation and poured all his power into a Force Push. Now knocked back, Luke lost concentration and control over Maul’s airways. Realizing what he had done, Skywalker quickly sunk into a deep bow on one knee to show his submission. His breaths were labored and thick with anxiety as he watched Maul approach him. 

“I-I’m sorry, Master. I don’t know what that was…” 

Before Luke could continue to ramble on, Maul lifted his head with two fingers and silenced him with one fierce look. 

“There is _nothing_ to apologize for, young apprentice. What you did was _excellent,_ and lightyears ahead of your training level. I am impressed.” His words were so silky smooth and satisfying; Luke almost didn’t hear the underlying note of icy menace.

“You are ready for the next phase.” 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  
  


The next phase happened to be more controlled and intricate uses of the Force, more specifically the Dark Side and what it could offer its practitioners. In not quite so many words, Maul explained that many abilities were open to Luke now, all of which the Jedi were too scared to utilize. Force Choke, the ability Luke had stumbled upon by accident, was one of the moves in a certain grey area. Many Jedi frowned on it and called it “unsavory”, but Choking was just the tip of the iceberg. Maul rattled off a few Force powers only accessible via the Dark: Force Lightning, Fear, Drain, Corrupt, and Illusion. These alone were incredibly enticing to Luke’s easily impressed mind, but the next part was what sealed the deal. 

“It is possible to learn these powers.” 

So learn Luke did indeed. He listened more intently to Maul then he ever had to Mace, and with so much more enthusiasm. The training from this point forward was _certainly_ rigorous, but he never felt like he was falling behind. It even felt natural within his body to use these new powers, like the Light had been a too large cloak and the Dark a perfectly fitting robe around his shoulders. It pressed close and surrounded him in its cold embrace, dampening everything else but the sensation of itself. It was intoxicating. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  
  


“Again!” 

Nostrils flaring and back straining, Luke closed his hand again, picturing all live giving air leaving his master. He shoveled all of his emotions in the gesture frantically, like his life depended on it. And he was rewarded for his efforts with the sight of an angry, struggling to breathe Maul.

It went on like this for so much time; Luke couldn’t count the hours anymore, but he knew that he had been training non stop for an entire day now. His mind felt flayed and invaded after the hours they had spent on fortifying his mental shields, and his arms were so heavy after dueling they felt like cinder blocks. Nevertheless, all this work only strengthened the blond Skywalker boy. Raw power slithered inside him at all times now, hissing in his ears to use it ever more viciously against his new master, who was at this time giving a lecture about the old Sith Ways. It wasn’t the most exciting part of his training, but at least it gave him a chance to rest.

“Darth Bane established the Rule of Two.” Maul was saying. “He had seen the fall of the old Sith Empire and rightly thought something needed to change. I’m sure you could guess what he did next?” 

Luke nodded. “He took an apprentice.”

“That’s right. He instructed only one pupil, and never took another. She eventually killed him, as his philosophy demanded, and took an apprentice of her own. And thus the cycle of Two began in earnest.” 

Luke took a moment to absorb the truth of Maul’s words, and to formulate a question. 

“My master, uh, my _old_ master, said that he killed the last of the Sith Lords. Sidious, he called him. Did you...know him?” 

Maul’s eyes hardened and his Force presence writhed angrily. “I trained under him for a time. Until Kenobi mutilated me. That was when I knew the Banite Sith as we knew them had to come to an end. I was discarded without a second thought. Something that horrific should never be repeated.” 

Luke found himself in staunch agreement. No living creature should be made to suffer that intensely, whether they be Sith or Jedi. It was what his dad had always preached, and Luke never argued. But before he could voice his agreement, Maul continued on. 

“Kenobi and the other Jedi must be shown the error of their ways. I think it’s finally time to bestow upon you the knowledge hidden within the Sith Holocron.”

Luke straightened his posture and schooled his child-like excitement into calm. “Thank you, master.” 

Maul picked himself off the floor where he had been lecturing and gestured to the two stone slabs at the center of the Temple’s summit.

“Take this and place it at the center of the Temple. It will grant you what you seek.” Maul brought the holocron out into view and gingerly handed it to his apprentice. “Remember your training.” 

Luke could barely keep his bubbling exhilaration in check as he paced his way over to the stone structures. It was finally time to scratch the itch that had been building under his skin all this time! Why had he been brought here?

Reaching his destination, Luke held out the holocron. It gave one final rumble of power before it floated out of his grasp and into the middle of the Temple. After a second of silence the ancient building roared to life. An electric beam of crimson energy surged out of the Temple and filled Luke’s ears with the icy music of the Dark Side. It sung tales of bitter defeat, glorious rage, and frostbitten fear. But that all sunk into the background when the triangular device started _speaking._

_“You have returned me to my rightful place. What is the name of my savior?”_ The holocron’s female voice was smooth and pleasantly cadenced, but it seemed to pierce through Luke like a fish hook. 

“Luke Skywalker.” 

_“Well then,_ Luke Skywalker. _You do know what I am used for?”_

“Knowledge.” 

_“And do you know what knowledge is?”_

This statement confused Luke slightly. “What is it?” 

The box let out a very suspiciously human chuckle. _“Knowledge is_ power. _”_

Another powerful beam of red light came from the Temple, as if it was asserting its dominance. Or maybe it was marking its prey?

_“Claim my power, Skywalker, and use it to destroy your enemies-whoever they may be.”_

This chilled Luke’s blood into ice, as if he wasn’t already below freezing. “And who are my enemies? Tell me! Tell me what to do!” 

A purr reverberated through the Force. _“Your Master. You must kill him to truly vanquish the source of your suffering. He will always dog your heels, always drag you down into his own quarrels with the universe if you do not strike him down in hatred.”_

Luke hesitated, nervousness fluttering in his stomach like butterflies. “Mace Windu?” 

_“No. He shall be your second target.”_

“Then…?”

_“Yes. You must kill_ Darth Maul. _You know it to be true.”_

“But he’s done nothing to hurt me! He’s helped me through all this!” Luke’s voice quaked with desperation. This couldn’t be what the holocron really wanted. It couldn’t be.

_“He has done_ everything _to you. He has tricked you into caring for him, with all his sweet and sickly tales of his misery. He has taken your latent power and corrupted it for his own ends. He has whispered Darkness into you, and now the stain can_ never _be wiped clean. You will always be a servant of Evil, young Luke Skywalker. It is your_ destiny, _thanks to your precious Master.”_

The truth. The holocron spoke the _truth._ The shadows gathering around Luke told him so. They hissed in agreement and murmured their plots for revenge, how they would so savagely and mercilessly deal with Maul. The intoxicating frost of the Dark was creeping up Luke’s spine. 

_“This is the Power you have been searching for, Skywalker. The black void in your soul that you couldn’t quite give a name to has been filled with it. Accept the Dark and_ strike true.” 

Igniting his lightsaber, Luke heeded the holocron’s words. He would break his chains. He would sever that bond holding him down, and he would do it so _gladly._

Maul parried Skywalker’s slash and spun his double bladed saber at his former apprentice’s head. Luke easily dodged and aimed an answering blow at Maul’s blade. They clashed with a violent sizzle of raw Dark Side energy, two warring sides reeking of sulfur and shivering cold. 

Luke screamed his throat red and lunged at Maul with lightning quickness. Two blows were blocked but one hit him squarely in the arm, just below where Luke had first hit him once upon a time. This only earned him a grunt of defiant pain. The two continued to duel ferociously, with it becoming more self evident that no clear victor would emerge. Until, that is, Luke decided that the bloodthirsty storm brewing inside him needed to be let free.

Electricity ballooned inside of him, and crackled just under the surface. The hairs on the back of his neck raised in anticipation. 

Maul practically screeched like a skinned animal when the blue lightning erupted from Luke’s outstretched hand and snaked over his body. He writhed on the floor, crying out in tremendous pain. When the onslaught of electricity finally released him, Maul gasped ragged breaths. He smelled of burnt metal and chlorine, an awful combination that made Luke’s nose flare in disgust. But the real thing that stirred Luke’s anger was the _begging._

Darth Maul was begging. He was simpering; tripping over his own words in terror and torment. The words were slurred together so much so that he could only catch a few phrases, like ‘please’, ‘have mercy’, and ‘don’t kill me.’ That last one was particularly fascinating, not because of the ‘kill me’ part but because of something he added on just a second later…’don’t kill me. I must have my revenge.’ 

This enraged Luke like nothing ever had before. His anger towards Leia, his father and all the rest...it couldn’t compare to the all consuming fire that was ravaging Skywalker’s mind now.

“ _How dare you!_ On the eve of your own death, you can’t even focus on the one who defeated you. Instead you focus on an old grudge. An old, stale _vendetta._ You are a slimy son of a bitch, and I’m disappointed that I couldn’t see it sooner.” 

The look on Maul’s face was as tumultuous as the lightning luke had unleashed on him earlier. He looked crushed, but more than that, he looked sad and _resigned._ Like in the back of his scheming, miserable mind he had _always known_ it would come to this. Like he was just a pawn in a much larger game of cosmic fun. 

“You have done well, my apprentice. Now you will take the final step. _You must._ ” 

_‘Will’, ‘must.’_ Gosh, it was always so _absolute_ with these Sith Lords. 

Luke dug his luminous green blade deep into Maul’s chest. The Zabrak lurched in pain, but as the life drained from his eyes a toothy smirk graced his lips.

_The student becomes the Master._


	6. To Kill A Jedi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: (heavy??) violence at the end of this chapter.

Luke’s starfighter was still intact when he resurfaced. The R3 co-pilot unit beeped and whirled at his return, but he ignored it like the nuisance it was. He only had room in his thoughts for what he would do next. 

He needed to go back to Coruscant. 

Luke dropped into the cockpit and readied the craft for take off. The surface of Malachor seemed to whine and sigh petulantly when Luke stepped off its ground, like it was a possessive child not yet willing to let go of its newest toy. And strangely, Luke felt something too. His own Force weighed his feet down and nipped at him to stay.

Shaking off the temptation the planet offered, Luke imputed Coruscant’s coordinates and sat back as his fighter lifted off and took to the waiting stars. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . .

  
  


Jumping out of hyperspace, Luke jolted out of his fitful sleep. Thank the Force he was here; his dreams had not been too pleasant. The smell of sulfur was still in his nose by the time his craft had entered the city planet’s airspace. 

Coruscant’s bustling array of life was a welcome sight after all the drab grays and deadened reds of Malachor, but it felt... _off_ now. The Force presence of the planet was so swollen with Light. It blinded Luke’s new Dark-attuned senses and itched at him uncomfortably. How could the Jedi stand it? 

Standing on the planet was even worse. As he neared the Jedi Temple the feeling of otherness inside Luke grew more noticeable and irritating. The Light churning around the sacred Jedi dwelling recognized him as a creature of the Dark and tried fruitlessly to rebel against his approach. The Force bucked and thrashed to make its displeasure known, which certainly made his walk less than fun. Luke almost had to physically fight his way through the wild Light with every step, and that certainly wasn’t going to work for very long. So, he decided to try something. 

Maul had told him of a technique some Dark Siders used to keep themselves hidden from Jedi and the Light itself; apparently Sidious had been able to keep himself concealed for so long because of it. So, taking a moment to center himself, Luke closed his eyes and concentrated on his own Force Signature. It was practically dripping with the tell-tale signs of Dark corruption and blackened intentions. 

He would have to remedy that. 

Reaching out with the Force, Luke subconsciously smoothed out the jagged edges of his Force Presence, and directed an enormous amount of power to wrap himself in the Light Side that was oh so abundant here. It slipped around him like a silky cloth that was a size too small, but nevertheless...it worked. After he opened his eyes again and took a step toward the Temple, the Light no longer repelled him. It simply obediently slid out of his path.

He encountered no further resistance the rest of the way. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . .

  
  


The Temple was exactly how he remembered it. It stood cold, imposing and grand above everything else, kind of like how the Jedi maintained a stoic detachment from the rest of the world. 

It was crawling with Jedi, as usual, and it didn’t take them long to spot and recognize him. Soon he was being ushered into the Temple with Knights and Padawans crowding around him like a personal guard. It was suffocating, being smothered by their Light. But luckily he didn’t have to deal with it that long; he was swiftly escorted to the Jedi Council. Apparently his disappearance from his mission with Mace had startled and upset many of the members on the Council. He even heard a Knight whispering about a disturbance in the Force so great that it had visibly disabled some Knights and Masters inside the Temple. The _younglings_ had even felt it. Something had gone terribly wrong in that twenty four hours he had been away, and the Council knew it had something to do with him. Terrific; they were going to interrogate him like some common criminal. 

When Luke entered the luxurious yet minimalist Council room, he was shocked to see almost all of the Masters actually _present_ physically. Only one Jedi was there via projection. Now that was worrying; usually the Masters never considered something important enough to all show up in the flesh, but apparently Luke Skywalker was a special case. 

“Padawan Luke Skywalker, returned to us you have.” Master Yoda spoke first, which was no surprise. 

Luke took a moment to double check his Force Signature. He could never be too hidden around Yoda. “I have.” 

“What happened? Why did you suddenly disappear from your last mission?” Master Plo Koon spoke next. 

“I was caught in a fight when I tried to escape orbit. One of the ships hit me and I fell unconscious. My droid took control and jumped into hyperspace. I landed in the Outer Rim. It took a bit of time to navigate back to Coruscant from so far out.” Luke exhaled, his practiced speech parting easily from his lips. He had gone over it in his head, picking apart every last detail and checking for discrepancies. It was what the Masters wanted to hear, so that was what he told them. 

“Which planet did you land on?” Master Windu finally decided to join the conversation. 

“Nal Hutta. My ship was badly damaged, so I had to land there to get supplies. But I encountered some difficulties with the _locals_ there, if you understand me.”

Of course the Masters all knew that Nal Hutta was controlled by the Hutt crime families, and was practically overrun with dangerous opportunists looking to make a quick buck off of lost children like him; which was precisely why Nal Hutta was a perfect cover story. No one would doubt that the old Skywalker luck would land him in a perilous situation such as that. 

But then it finally came to the _interesting_ part. “Feel the disturbance in the Force, did you? Biggest shock wave felt since the beginning of the Clone Wars, it was.” Yoda’s stare was piercing; for such an old man he could be quite scary. 

“I did, yes. I was fighting with a bounty hunter when it happened. Almost kriffing killed me!” Luke made sure to slip in some of his old humor in there, just to be a tad extra convincing. 

Some of the Masters winced at his language. What prudes. 

“Did you have anything to do with it?” It was just like Mace to ask his own padawan such an incriminating question. 

“What, no, of course not! I was too preoccupied trying not to get killed to cause a disturbance that huge.” Luke paused, and made sure the most clueless expression crossed his face. “Who do you think could have caused it?” 

The Masters all laid back slightly in their chairs, contemplating. It was so aggravating all of a sudden, just standing there in the middle of the circle while they debated his fate. Luke began to impatiently twiddle his thumbs before they finally sat up straight again.

“We don’t know.” Great answer Mace, very helpful indeed. “But, we will be putting the Temple under heavy scrutiny from now on.” 

Master Kenobi finally spoke up from his place in the circle. “We can’t let the perpetrator strike again, that’s for sure. We want you to be on the lookout for us. The disturbance could have only been caused by a rogue Jedi or Force User, which could mean we have a traitor in our midst. Would you do us the honor of being our eyes and ears inside this Temple?” Obi-Wan’s eyes were so round and full of pleading Luke almost felt bad for lying to him. 

“Yes, Master. Whatever you want.” 

He, of course, thought ill of the Council’s desire for him to be their “eyes and ears”. They were fools to be so trusting of him after his very sudden disappearance and the inordinately powerful disturbance in the Force during his time away. These two events were clearly linked, and the masters were being dangerously unwise in ignoring the obvious. But, that wasn’t Luke’s problem. In fact, this outcome was what he had been  _ hoping _ for. So, Luke let his anger and frustration loose into the Force around him and took in a shaky breath. Now the really hard part was up next. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

  
  


Luke was having another dream. No, a  _ nightmare _ . 

_ Fire raged all around him, burning the Jedi Temple that was boxing him in. It crept up the sides of the walls and developed into serpentine forms with snapping jaws and teeth dripping with ashy venom. Their voices hissed with Darkness and their bodies dropped off the walls and danced toward him. Luke was bolted to the floor, his legs like lead bars. The Dark was holding him down, forcing him to watch as the snakes opened their jaws of flame and- _

_ Spoke.  _

_ “You’re wasting time, disciple! Strike now, while they still do not suspect.”  _

_ Another serpent rose from behind and hissed into his ear. “You promised us our revenge against the Jedi when you struck down your master. Your word is your  _ bond, _ boy.”  _

_ More sly voices joined the cacophony of howling fire.  _

_ “The time is now!”  _

_ “Use what you have learned, apprentice.” _

_ “There is no truth in the Force. But there is truth in you, exile.”  _

_ “Rise, and spread the Darkness we gifted to you.” _

_ “Rise, and balance the Force like your father was too weak to do.” _

_ “Rise.” _

_ “Rise!”  _

_ “RISE!” _

Luke jerked awake. He had piles and piles of blankets layered on top of him, but he still felt like a block of ice. The cold stubbornly clung to him, even when he untangled the blankets and stood up. That was going to take some getting used to. 

But before Luke could ponder his perpetual frozen state, there was a knock at the door. 

Opening the door, Luke saw that it was Mace. How wonderful. 

“Skywalker. I wanted to talk to you after the meeting, but you were tired so I let you rest.” The epitome of consideration, truly. “But I think we have to talk now.” 

Luke dubiously side eyed his master as he slipped on an extra layer of clothing. They fell into step beside each other easily as they departed the padawan quarters; too easily for Luke’s liking. 

Mace remained suspiciously quiet for too long before he spoke again. “Nal Hutta, huh? That must have been quite _ interesting. _ ” 

“Yes, if by interesting you mean treacherous and dangerous.” 

_ It was certainly treacherous, yes.  _

Luke startled at the sudden interjection of a hissing voice in his head. The snakes had only been a dream. He was awake now; they had no power over the waking world, right?

“Luke, you alright?” Mace’s stern voice brought Luke out of his thoughts. His master was looking at him with an indecipherable gleam in his eyes. 

“Uh, yeah, of course. I just suddenly remembered something.” 

“What was it? Looked like it scared you.” 

Luke felt the cold slither inside him, ready to uncoil at any moment. “It was...it was when the bounty hunter first came out of the sky and jumped me. I wasn’t ready for him.” 

“He came out of the sky? What kind of armor was he wearing? Anything...memorable?” 

The slight bite in Windu’s tone put Luke on edge. 

“Mandolorian, I think. It all happened very fast, so I didn’t have time to admire it.” 

Mace nodded his head and put a hand to his chin in thought. “You didn’t mention that it was a Mandolorian who attacked you at the Council meeting.” 

“I didn’t think it was that important to detail  _ exactly _ everything that happened. We’d have been there all day, master.” The term ‘master’ in reference to Mace Windu felt foreign and invasive on Luke’s tongue. 

“That may be true, but I would’ve appreciated knowing at least some details about your assailant. Perhaps we could bring them to justice someday.” 

Luke mentally kicked himself for not thinking of that response. “That’s all well and good, but I was under quite a lot of stress and didn’t think about memorizing every crack in his armor.” That came out a little too sardonic.

“I never asked you to. But it would be beneficial to all of us if you could remember a bit more.” 

The high and mighty Mace Windu Luke knew was back. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll try to wrack my traumatized brain a little more for you, see if I could dig up some more juicy details of how I almost died on that kriffing hell hole of a planet.” Luke’s temper was cracking his facade of calm. 

Mace took a step back from his padawan. “You know that isn’t what I meant.” 

The Jedi Master’s small acquiescence only seemed to irritate Luke’s fledgling anger more. “Then what  _ did  _ you mean? I can hardly tell anymore!” 

Now Mace’s hands were up, the galaxy’s universal sign of submission. “I only meant to imply that with more information we could infer more about your situation and help you-“ 

Luke cut him off. “I don’t  _ need _ help. I got back here, didn’t I?” He didn’t notice the volume of his voice rise until he was almost shouting. “I’m in one piece! I  _ never _ needed your help!” Luke’s control over his Force Presence was diminishing with every word, his repressed anger and depression manifesting at the worst of times. 

Mace put his hands down to his sides. One hand hung casually but the other drifted purposefully to the lightsaber that was clipped to Mace’s belt. That famous violet lightsaber that awed so many and inspired others. But here, that lightsaber only inspired dreadful and blooming  _ fear.  _

“What planet did you really land on, Luke?” Gone was Master Windu’s submissive calm. There was only deadly suspicion now. 

“I already told you.” Luke mirrored Mace’s voice. 

“No, I don’t think you did. I thought I sensed something wrong about you in the Council meeting, but I didn’t want to embarrass you and bring it up for nothing.” 

_ We all know how you hate to be embarrassed.  _

The voice was so overpowering in Luke’s head he almost hissed along with it. 

“ _ Wrong? _ There’s nothing wrong with me, despite what you’ve been telling me my whole life!”

“I noticed it when you came in to talk with us. Your signature was less bright, and it felt strained. I asked Master Kenobi if he felt it after the meeting, and you want to know what he said? He confirmed what I had suspected. You were closing yourself off from the Force.” 

Luke took a step away, a sick feeling unbalancing him.  _ He knows.  _

“Why would you want to hide yourself from us? You have nothing to fear from the Jedi Council, Luke. That is, if you have nothing to hide.” He paused, a sinister edge to his voice that wasn’t there a second ago. “What planet did you  _ really _ land on?” 

“Malachor.” 

It was with this single release of the truth, Luke let all his carefully constructed barriers down. He freed the ill fitting Light around him and scattered it to the wind, welcoming the rush of Dark that eagerly returned to his side. It filled the void that the Light had so effectively burned into him. 

But this sudden supernova of Dark Side energy certainly did not go unnoticed by the Jedi Master standing close by. Mace unclipped his lightsaber and with an iconic  _ snap-hiss, _ ignited it.

“Malachor! The Dark Side is strong there; it corrupted you when you touched down. Come with me to the Masters Luke! We’ll free you of its influence, just please come peacefully!” 

Mace Windu’s stance was anything but peaceful. 

“No. I’ll be leaving now, I think. There’s nothing more I can I can learn from you,  _ Master. _ ” Luke’s voice was ice cold, imitating the Force power he was powerfully projecting with reckless abandon. He didn’t care if the other Jedi could feel his Darkness at this point; he was  _ tired _ of concealing himself. 

Luke lunged forward and clashed his green saber with Windu’s purple one in a blinding fit of rage. The roaring in his ears was so loud; his former master had to scream to get his attention. 

“Luke, please! Think of your father! I was there to save him from the Dark, and I can be there for you too!” 

Luke pushed Windu back with a violent surge of the Force and wiped away the tears welling in his eyes. “You never cared about me, not really!” Luke choked on his words, the force of his own emotion lumping in his throat painfully. “You didn’t notice when I stopped talking to my own sister! You weren’t there when I got my Kyber Crystal. You couldn’t save me in that dogfight, and you can’t save me now. My father doesn’t care either, but...I’ll  _ make _ him. He’ll  _ have  _ to care about me now that I’m a  _ problem. _ ”

The venom he spat could have melted ten feet of durasteel. 

Mace grimaced like he had gotten a face full of the poison. “Even if you couldn’t see it, he did care about you! Everyone cared about you! Leia even came to me and asked about you! She cared enough to do that...and you should care enough to get yourself help now!” 

Luke shook his head, more for himself than for Mace. He simply couldn't believe that all his suffering had been for nothing; he couldn’t let go of the terrible sensation that gripped him now. It pinned him in place and touched every sensitive nerve, every dangling thread that still yearned for closure. That scaly feeling crawled over his back and reached over him, its shadows casting an infinite void that would never be filled. 

_ This has gone on for far too long!  _

_ Strike now! Show him your fangs, little serpent! _

_ You are of the Dark, and to the Dark you must return.  _

_ Turn the Lightsaber  _

_ And kill _

_ Your true  _

_ Enemy!  _

There was no more warmth. There was no more pitiful kindness left floundering in the blond Skywalker’s heart. The cold took root in every place it could dig its hooks, leaving no path undisturbed. A deathly stillness settled in, and the only movement was a delightful turn of the green blade in his hand. It arched perfectly, a true weapon of war. And as only a good weapon would, it thirsted for  _ blood. _

A Jedi clashed with a former Jedi, their blades colliding ferociously. They danced across the courtyard they were walking along, a perfect dichotomy of Light and Dark. Mace Windu jabbed and cut aggressively, a beautiful example of Form VII. But even his ruthless grace wasn’t enough to match the brutal and murderous advantage of the Dark Side that was exploding off of Luke Skywalker. Tendrils of Dark Power slashed and clawed at the Jedi Master, hissing its molten rage with so much cruel glee. It was as if Mace was fighting not just one Dark Sider but a hundred of them, all joined together for a final strike against the long hated Jedi; only that could explain Luke’s unnaturally strong swings. 

One of those swings cut a deep gash in Windu’s forearm. Not giving his apprentice the satisfaction of a scream, he continued his assault. 

The world was a blackened blur for Skywalker. The Force thrummed through him, a melting pot of all the emotions he had repressed since Malachor. It felt  _ so good _ to finally unleash it all on a skilled Jedi that could trade blows with him, but alas...Mace Windu’s efforts were only further stirring the Sith-like bloodlust simmering in him. Every lightsaber cut and blow added to the growing thirst for the  _ kill _ that was rapidly approaching. The Jedi was growing weaker, slower. His Force signature was dampening and his pushes and pulls couldn’t hold a candle to Luke’s.  _ The end was finally near.  _

_ With this, you will Ascend, Skywalker.  _

Mace Windu fell to his knees, exhausted. Ragged breaths tore from his chest, and sweat glistened on his bare forehead. He was at the end of his strength, barely strong enough now to even look up at his former pupil. 

Luke liked looking at the beaten, the _ broken, _ kneeling before him.

_ “May the Force be with you, Master Jedi.”  _

The voice that came from Skywalker’s lips was not his own. It was a mass of other voices all crowding in on each other, all slipping together to form one hideous voice. It dripped with venom and megalomaniacal evil that could have only belonged to the Sith Lords long past. They all unified to laugh at Mace Windu, Jedi Master, one last time. 

_ “We quite like this one. He will be our new vessel. He will carry out the will of the Dark, and snuff out all the brightest stars. Doesn’t that sound delightful?”  _

The last thing Mace Windu saw before the green lightsaber came down was the burning yellow eyes of a Sith finally staring back at him. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . 

  
  


Leia shuddered suddenly. The Force violently twisted and convulsed inside her head, the definitive sign of a Disturbance. 

But this disturbance in the Force was different. It felt cold and _ terrible,  _ and it sent waves of sickness down her throat right to her stomach. It tempted her to vomit, the feeling was so awful. But worse than that, something else had happened at the same time. The Force Bond she had shared with her brother, the tether that had been dormant and quiet for far too long now suddenly startled to life. She could feel Luke’s emotions so clearly, but none of it was nice or positive. It was an evil storm of raging darkness at her brother’s end of the Bond, and it threatened to spill over into her.

Leia slammed her mental shields up and blocked the barrage of Dark Side energy frantically clawing and scraping at her. She thought she could hear faint voices in the storm; they were shouting indiscriminately at nothing and everything. It was so painful to just put up a  _ shield  _ against that kind of Dark power...what kind of special hell was  _ Luke _ going through? How could he endure that kind of evil in his mind? That was, of course, if he actually had any Light left in him at all. 

Leia felt a hot tear creep down her cheek. This was  _ her _ fault. If only she had been there for him when he needed her. If only she had heard his silent screams of pain instead of just ignoring tham and hoping they’d go away. What a terrible sister she was, and now she would have to pay the price and hunt down her own brother.

Hunt down her own brother, Luke Skywalker. Her brother, the killer of Mace Windu. Her brother, The Starkiller. 

  
  


. . . . . . . . . . . . 

  
  


_ Starkiller.  _

One word was all that Luke could catch from his newly reopened bond with his sister. 

_ Starkiller.  _

How fitting. He played around with the idea of the name in his head, the other presences also thinking it over. They all hummed in mutual liking. 

_ Starkiller.  _ That is what he shall be called. A title fit for a Jedi Killer of the highest caliber. A title prophesying what he would inflict upon any other Jedi who got in his way or otherwise annoyed him. 

He was The Starkiller, and he would snuff out any stars that dared to oppose him. The Light would die in his hands. 

The thought excited him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I live for the moment when I can turn something pure into something perverse.”  
> -Graz’zt
> 
> So that's the end! Oh boy, do I have stuff to discuss after this monstrosity of a fic.  
> So this work that y'all just read was the product of an idea that I had late one night. I was weeping over The Clone Wars show, as one does, and I decided that I wanted to write a small fic to help alleviate some of my sadness. So I wrote the first chapter of this, fully intending to leave it there and give everyone their happily ever after.  
> Until I saw that I could do a lot more with this then I originally thought.  
> So I got to brainstorming and realized I could "Rhyme" this story with the prequels as they were supposed to happen. We all know how Anakin falls in RoTS, but in this story he never does. So I thought that the Force wouldn't like that and would want to search for a new way to balance itself. Enter, Luke Skywalker.  
> He's the perfect candidate for Force balancing shenanigans. He's upset that his sister is better than him and Mace Windu is kinda a dick and doesn't show enough affection towards him. So he goes off and gets himself tempted to the Dark Side. I wanted his temptation to be kind of similar with how Anakin fell: Luke feels underappreciated and unfulfilled by the Light, but when he finds the Dark it gives him a new purpose and an outlet for all his repressed emotions. So, like in RoTS, he was doomed to fall by the Force, which makes it all the more tragic. And since there are no more Sith in the entire galaxy after the death of Maul in chapter five, Luke becomes something else entirely. He's still a Dark Side user, but in my mind he's something greater then the Sith. He's the start of a new order. That's why he doesn't have the title of Darth at the end. He takes an entirely new name to differentiate himself from all the other past Sith, and that's why he is so dangerous. (Also yeah I know that there's already a character with the name Starkiller in SW, but since Luke's original last name was going to be Starkiller...I thought it was appropriate.)
> 
> So yeah, look forward for Chapter two of The Ascension Series, which will be coming soon. It will be a wild kriffing ride, with a whole bunch of Legends characters included and lore expanded upon. It'll be fun, I promise.


End file.
